Peter Fonda famously throws away his watch in the cult 1969 movie Easy Rider, starting a fad with riders and other travellers to discard their watches and disregard the constraints of time.
A watch is a symbol of “the man”, society and capitalism that constrain us.
Motorcycles are freedom machines that allow us to escape the rigours of timekeeping.
In a hilarious parody of the famous Easy Rider scene, John Travolta and his buddies throw away their mobile phones before a cross-country ride in the 2007 movie Wild Hogs.
“You don’t need a GPS to discover America; you need a bike and you need the road, ok? Freedom,” says Travolta.
Exactly!
There are no deadlines on the open road. Even sunset is no limit.
So there really is no need for a watch. Besides, you can’t see it under your jacket sleeve and gloves when riding.
Besides, most bikes these days have clocks, although I have my bike’s screen set to the trip meter, rather than the clock.
Time collaborations
Yet motorcycle companies have had a long association with watch companies over time (pun intended).
The latest is the Ducati-Locman collection with prices ranging from €299 to €598.
Other motorcycle manufacturers have had similar exclusive watches in recent years so devoted fans can wear their “heart” on their sleeve – or wrist with the best watch straps!
They include: a Ducati Scrambler watch in 2015 with Swiss watchmaker Tudor; Indian Motorcycle with Swiss watchmaker Baume & Mercier; a BMW GS watch, BMW boxer watch designed by Marc Jenni; and a host of Harley-Davidson watches with New York company Bulova.
